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15 Spanish Books for Back to School (K-2 edition)

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Back to school is here! Teachers are busy preparing their classrooms, going to staff meetings and preparing for that first day of school. We want to make sure everything goes well and we can't wait to meet our students. Making our students feel comfortable and safe is a top priority, and sharing our love of reading starts on that very first day when we read aloud.

I have compiled a list of books to read not only on the first day, but to have available during the back to school season.

If you know any kindergarten teacher you already know about this book, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? is a classic of children's literature. Bill Martin's rhythmic text speaks directly to young children, and Eric Carle's gorgeous illustrations hold children enraptured reading after reading.

When reading in Spanish I talk about the word "pardo" as a synomyn for the word "café" and we talk about different ways of saying color names like pardo, rojizo, castaño etc.

I usually like to accompany the books I read with an activity like this one:

This is a pretty new book (released February, 2017) this is one of the three books in the Chu series. Chu is a little nervous about his first day at school. Will he make friends? The teacher asks everyone to introduce themselves and talk about what they really like to do. When it's Chu's turn, no one expects what happens next.

Nancy Carlson's reassuring picture book about getting ready for kindergarten is now available in a Spanish-English edition-and to a whole new audience of young children. The simple, comforting text and big, bright illustrations will ease first-day-of-school jitters and help make the early days of kindergarten exciting and fun.

This book prepares students for all of the activities they will experience throughout the school day. First Spot will meet his teacher and classmates, then it's time for music. Learning to spell, listening to a story, and painting a picture are just some of the things in store for Spot on his first day. "Spot is one of the essential experiences of childhood."-- Parents Magazine

Eric Hill created Spot in 1980 for his young son. Since then, the Spot books have gone on to sell over 22 million copies in approximately 100 different countries, making it one of the bestselling children's series of all time.

Sofia is new at a bilingual school. Join her on her first day as she learns to communicate throughout the day! This book is designed for classrooms and homes alike, wherever children are nervous about what to say on their first day!

David's teacher has her hands full. From running in the halls to chewing gum in class, David's high-energy antics fill each schoolday with trouble -- and are sure to bring a smile to even the best- behaved reader.

This is great for the students that feel nervous on the first day. I was so happy when I was able to get my hands on the Spanish edition. On this first day, I also write a letter to parents with tips and recommendation to read this book at home.

In this contemporary classic Chester Raccoon seeks love and reassurance from his mother as he ventures out into the world to attend his very first day of school.

One of my favorite books of all times! My students learn a valuable lessons about taking pride of their names and being careful with the words they choose which can can hurt others.

Chrysanthemum takes pride in her name, but she stops liking it after her classmates make fun of it. Things begin to change, however, when she meets her new music teacher, who makes her feel proud of her special name once again.

We usually do a thematic unit around the alphabet and I was excited to find the Spanish version. On this random books, all the letter go up the coconut tree, they fall, climb back up with their parents (upper case letters) and all is great.

Kids think it is really funny, after reading the book I like to play the song:

I don't know why this book is not as popular as others on amazon. It is so funny to my students, they instantly feel more at ease. Sammy the shark is so excited about the first day of school, he tries to eat everything in his path. Sammy the shark gets too excited on the first day of school and he bites the table, eats a friend while playing tag and swallows the teacher--until he gets taught a lesson in manners.

I had so much fun one year with this book that I decided to let my students read the book:

Everyone knows that sinking feeling in the pit of the stomach just before diving into a new situation. Sarah Jane Hartwell is scared and doesn't want to start over at a new school. She doesn't know anybody, and nobody knows her. It will be awful. She just knows it. With much prodding from Mr. Hartwell, Sarah Jane reluctantly pulls herself together and goes to school. She is quickly befriended by Mrs. Burton, who helps smooth her jittery transition. This charming and familiar story will delight readers with its surprise ending.